The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a tough home loss, but head on the road to take on the winless Detroit Lions. On paper, it should be an easy win, right?
The Cardinals are not thinking that way.
What the Cardinals see is a talented team that is just a few points of being undefeated.
The team should be over the tough loss. Head coach Bruce Arians said to reporters it is a case of player leadership that moves the team on. "When your veterans come in Wednesday to go to work, your young guys will follow," he said. "Young guys like David (Johnson), who had a bad play or two, veterans get him ready to go." Arians mentioned Carson Palmer, Calais Campbell, Frostee Rucker and Patrick Peterson as guys who do well at that.
"This is the time for your leadership to stand up, and if you have really good leadership, you won't lose two in a row," he said.
Plus, the Cardinals don't look at the Lions as some easy opponent.
"They beat the Seahawks," Arians said of the Monday night game. "They just didn't get the ball back in Seattle. All our guys have to know is watch that game. They know what it is like to play up there."
Quarterback Carson Palmer echoed that sentiment.
"We're not taking this game for granted whatsoever," he said. "This is a good football team. This is a team that was a foot-and-a-half away from beating Seattle at home, and if anyone knows how hard that is, we do."
Palmer called it a "a must-win for us against a good football team."
Safety Deone Bucannon said Detroit's record "doesn't matter in this game." Mentioning guys like Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate and Ameer Abdullah, "they have so many weapons."
Plus, there is a "marquee matchup," according to Bucannon. "Pat P, Calvin Johnson -- our best on their best. It's just a dream come true."
As Palmer said as well, "We'll be ready on Sunday."